An 85-year old man living with his wife who has Alzheimers disease?

A 75-year-old couple living with their 52-year-old daughter who is developmentally disabled?

A 25-year old woman who is sharing an apartment with her 28-year-old brother who is a quadriplegic due to a driving accident?

A 40 year-old woman living with her 13-year-old daughter struggling with ADHD, and whose disabled 80-year-old mother lives alone about 15 minutes from home?

A 50-year-old neighbor who anxiously waits until his 92-year-old friend answers the door and wonders, "What would happen if I wasn't here?"

A caregiver is a person who cares for someone who has long-term or lifelong physical or psychological challenges. The demands placed upon a caregiver are great, and respite can help alleviate the stress.

The Respite Resource Center, (RRC) a non-profit, state-funded agency, is one of six sites that make up the Nebraska Respite Network, offering information about respite services across the lifespan.

The Center gathers information on paid and volunteer respite services available to caregivers as well as information on professional or donated services.

The Respite Resource Center coordinates resources for Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
Other Nebraska Respite Network locations which serve various counties throughout Nebraska are: Northern, located in O'Neill; Southeastern, located in Lincoln; Central, located in Loup City; Southwest, located in McCook; and Western, located in Chadron, Nebraska. More information about the Respite Resource Center is available at the website: www.respitenetwork.org

WHY:
The Respite Resource Center serves as a one-stop location for information on respite for caregivers, providers, employers and citizens. The RRC connects caregivers overwhelmed with the demands of the daily care of an individual with information about the appropriate respite services in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. It also provides information for respite providers who wish to be registered and offer services, either paid or volunteer. The Respite Resource Center does not make recommendations regarding services, but provides this information to the caregiver to make the final decision.

FOR WHOM:
Caregivers: The Respite Resource Center assists with names and phone numbers of respite services the caregiver needs. Providers: The RRC maintains a list of providers, both individuals and agencies where families in need of help can be referred. Names of professional agencies and/or paid providers as well as volunteer organizations will be listed. Volunteers: Individuals' names will be maintained as those available to offer respite. Volunteers will be informed of the various volunteer respite programs where they may share their time with families in need of a break.

HOW: Respite can occur in many different ways and places depending on the needs of the caregiver and the person they are caring for. Some examples are:
* Paid or volunteer in home service
* Day service centers for adults
* Day care centers for children
* Camps
* Schools
* Extended care facilities
* Many more

EXAMPLES OF RESPITE:
Caregivers need an opportunity to have time for themselves. Here are some examples:
* Go to the grocery store
* Visit their doctor
* Have lunch with a friend
* Attend church or a school function
* Take a nap
* Go out of town for a couple of days or weeks
* Just relax

WHERE: No care services are provided at The Respite Resource Center.

*Paid or volunteer in - home service

*Day service centers for adults

*Day care centers for children

*Camps

*Schools

*Extended care facilities

*And many more...
If you belong to an organization that provides respite, or if you are interested in learning more about this important service, give us a call at:
(402) 996-8443 - (866) RESPITE (737-7483).

The Nebraska Respite Network consists of six sites that collect information and coordinate respite resources statewide. They are the one place to call for your respite needs.

CAREGIVERS are encouraged to call. The Nebraska Respite Network will assist you in finding the respite services you require.

PROVIDERS: Join the other individuals and agencies that we refer to families in need.

EMPLOYERS: Contact us if you are long for a valuable resource for your employees who are caregivers.

ClTIZENS: If you are looking for ways to make a real difference in your neighborhood, give us a call.

What's stopping you?

...A Caregiver overwhelmed with the demands of the daily care for an individual?

...An Employer who would like to help your employees who are caregivers?

...A volunteer, individual, or agency looking for a way to connect with families in need of a break?

Whatever is stopping you, a call to the Respite Resource Center will get you starts in the right direction.

Statewide Toll Free 1 (866) RESPITE
(402) 996-8443 - 1 (866)-737-7483

Additional Background On Respite

There are between 24 million and 28 million family caregivers in America. About 60 to 65% of the individuals requiring care are the elderly (Gould, United Hospital Fund, Summer, 1999). According to the National Survey of Families and Households, an estimated one-third of adults between the ages of 20 and 75 are providing some type of informal care to an ill or disabled family member or friend. The largest share of this informal caregiving goes to parents (38%), friend (24%), other relatives (20%), spouses (11%) and children (7%) (Stone, Robyn, Family Caregiver Alliance Conference proceedings, Oct. 1999).

Caring for an individual with special needs is a full time job. Among the many challenges facing caregivers is where to call to receive the respite they need. According to the 1996 survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving, 64% of the 22,411,200 caregivers surveyed also are working outside the home. In the Omaha and surrounding area Yellow Pages, there is not a single listing for Respite Care. Currently, caregivers must find the time to call all the different groups, organizations and agencies looking for help. With the Respite Resource Center (RRC), the caregivers just need to make one call.

The Respite Resource Center will complete an intake on the respite services needed. The Center then connects caregivers with the appropriate program. Agencies, respite providers and volunteer organizations are included in the RRC's database. Agencies and organizations also may call the Respite Resource Center to find resources within the community.

Cost is another hurdle caregivers must overcome. They often are faced with large medical bills, making respite a luxury they simply cannot afford. These caregivers require a volunteer program that is free or donation-based. There are such programs in the area but they need assistance in recruiting sufficient volunteers to meet the growing need. In addition to promoting the need for volunteers among various groups, the staff of the Respite Resource Center will assist in enlisting places of worship to begin respite programs as a mission project.

The cost of not receiving respite is high. Preliminary data from an ongoing research project of the Oklahoma State University on the effects of respite, found that the number of hospitalizations as well as the number of medical care claims decreased as the number of respite care days increased (FY 1998 Oklahoma Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Annual Report, July 1999).

A study of Vermont's 10-year-old respite care program for families with children or adolescents with serious emotional disturbance found that participating families experience fewer out-of-home placements than nonusers. Respite care users also were more optimistic about their future capabilities to take care of their children (Bruns, Eric, November 15, 1999). Caregivers are often family members caring for a chronically ill or elderly loved one in the home. The people who receive care span the generations from birth to old age and face multiple disabilities and challenges. Caregivers may be a parent, an adult child, a spouse , a relative or a friend. Caregivers are all unique and have different circumstances. The one thing caregivers have in common is their need for an occasional break. Respite care provides that break.